


Nightmares

by EmeryldLuk



Series: Puck [5]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, LGBTQ Themes, Nightmares, Other, S Class Trial, Time Loop, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27945452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeryldLuk/pseuds/EmeryldLuk
Summary: Puck and Elfman are caught in a Nightmare Loop.
Series: Puck [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974676
Kudos: 1





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> The content of this chapter hints at homophobia while not explicitly mentioned.

The magically lit tunnel plunged into darkness.

Elfman jolted in surprise, his reaching hand grasping at the chiseled wall.

“Puck?”

Silence answered him.

“Puck!”

Elfman waited, straining to see in the pitch, holding his breath in hope of hearing theirs. They heard nothing.

“Puck!” Elfman yelled, inching forward. Light flared up, momentarily blinding him, but even as he blinked away the spots in his vision, Puck remained missing.

Instead of the stone tunnel, Elfman stood in a forest clearing at noon. He spun in confusion and stopped dead upon seeing his sisters, Mira and Lisanna.

“What?”

The girls were yelling at him and he realized he was lumbering towards them. The scene felt familiar, like a dream he’d had before.

Mira pushed Lisanna back, transforming into a demon.

Elfman remembered. He remembered as his hands came into view, shaped into monstrous claws backed in fur. He remembered as he clashed with Mira in a battle of strength and no matter how he tried, he could not stop.

He screamed, though the sound out of his lips sounded more like a bestial roar.

Puck clutched for their guitar, but the notes they played made no effect on the lightless dark. They waited, listening carefully and wondered why Elfman said nothing to them.

They were about to call out when the dark was flooded with light. Puck yelped, covering their eyes until they could see again.

They looked out over a gilded balcony, a pair of expansive stairs flanking them down to a crystal lit hall filled with over dressed merchants, businessmen, and nobility. Puck grasped the railing and felt the tremor in their bones that was nerves.

Someone spoke to them, using a name Puck barely remembered. They turned to it and faced a woman dressed in a simple but fitting dress in a dark navy paired with glittering silver jewelry.

“You know what to do,” The woman instructed. “Make us proud.”

Puck swallowed and strode down the steps to mingle. The journey was broken and slow as nearly every person they met wanted to say hello and ask personal questions.

Puck quickly noticed they had no control over anything. They moved as if pre programmed. They answered the fawning fans without hesitation and cold precision.

Then they saw him. The dashing cut of his jaw over the collar of his royal blue jacket trimmed with white. The sweeping auburn waves that framed bright sparkling eyes like gemstones that matched their clothes. Puck’s breath caught unbidden.

Thin, elegant fingers lifted Puck’s to blushing lips. There was that name again. Puck barely recognized it as their own it had been so long.

“You look amazing tonight,” He said to Puck. “As amazing as your voice up on that stage.”

“You honor me with your praise,” Puck said with a hushed breath. “Troy, I am happy you came.”

He grinned. “You would have had to kill me to keep me away. So, when is your next performance?”

“Yet to be decided. Perhaps you would have a suggestion?” Puck motioned for Troy to walk with them.

With Troy next to them, the others kept their distance and their questions. Troy smiled, eyes unfocused just a bit.

“You tempt me. Yes, my family would die to have you heading a performance for them. Father wants to make sure you remain a fast ally.”

“There are many ways to ensure that,” Puck couldn’t help but hint with the flash of a smile. They were silently screaming now, trying to stop their feet from moving, or to simply walk the other way. Anything to not walk into the private sitting room.

Their feet kept on. The conversation progressed further down that flirtatious route with the doors closed. Troy was so close now and despite Puck’s internal desperation, they were leaning in for that kiss.

The door opened suddenly for a couple, giggling and tripping over each other. Troy and Puck froze with their arms around the other. The wealthy couple stared for a few seconds and then the lady gave a small gasp.

“Oh my,” she said, “I hope we didn’t intrude.”

“Bastard,” her man swore. He added on a slur about their kind of relationship.

Troy instantly started to beg for silence, sweat beading his brow. His hands slid away from Puck. The lady covered her mouth with one gloved hand.

Puck spoke in a rush, the words falling over the listeners like a blanket. All three sets of eyes glazed over. The lady and her man blinked twice, confusion setting over their faces.

“Sorry,” the lady apologized, “didn’t mean to bother your business. Come, Dear.”

Puck bit their lip and reached out to Troy. Only there was something wrong. When he looked back at Puck, he was too serious, too empty.

Puck blinked and saw the view from the balcony again. It took them until they were walking down the stairs to figure out what was going on.

They knew the magic; it was called Nightmare Loop. The target fell into a coma, reliving their worst nightmare over and over. Puck had used it a couple times while learning the magic.

Puck woke up with a cold jolt, face pressed into the rocky ground. They gasped with a choked sob and pushed up. The tears came, unwilling, streaming down their face. Puck covered their face and cried.

Once the tears stopped and they could manage a semblance of calm, Puck looked around. Hidden in the glare of the lights, Puck could see the magic runes scrawled onto the wall. They pulled their guitar up and strummed a jarring little tune that put cracks in the rocks.

Elfman still lay on the ground, out cold. He did not rouse with a shake of the shoulder. Puck checked the runes and then leaned down to speak into his ear.

“Wake up, Sleepyhead,” they whispered. After a second, Elfman woke with a yell. He scrambled away from Puck, pressing his back to the wall and casting around with eyes wide from horror.

Puck sat back and waited patiently for him to get his bearings. They could hear something dripping in the distance.

“What was that?”

_ Nightmare Loop. Magic illusion- thought- worst memory- repeat repeat. _

“How did- Did you break me out of it?”

Puck nodded.  _ How- you feel? _

“Better.” He stood up and cracked his knuckles. “When do I get to punch something again?”

Puck smirked, rolling up.


End file.
